07-11-2010, 06:30 PM
Quote:Does the book give any further grounding for Prof. Mann's theory? Andrew Birley said in the TV interview that the huts are identical to Libyan ones, but I've read in other reports (by other Birleys!) that they're also very similar to native British designs.It's a brilliant book, IMHO. Starts with an excellent retelling of early history & digs at the site, then follows a chronology from the earliest levels to the latest, incorporating all that was known through late 2008. (More has come to light since, of course.)
They're still discovering more of the "roundhouses" today. My Vindolanda digger's site has a few recent pictures of a new one just found in June. I believe that still nobody knows. The big conundrum is that there doesn't appear to be any defensive ring around these buildings. The former fort platform was utterly leveled (except for a small section of its western wall, which became the -eastern- wall of an unorthodox Severan fort). The platform was then almost totally given over to these new roundhouses, generally grouped in 10 (5 back-to-back with roadways laid in front). Some people thought they were a jail. But without walls it's hard to picture.
My pet hypothesis is along the lines of a nascent colony. Perhaps of loyal northern Britons who were being run off their land in the war that Severus was prosecuting to the north. But, again, who knows.
- Harry
www.wedigvindolanda.com
Everything old is new again.
